Multiwell Electrode Biosensor Amperometry Sensitivity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current biosensors face challenges in detecting very small amounts of target substances with high sensitivity, particularly for proteins like cytokines, which exist at low concentrations in blood, and require large sample volumes, making accurate measurement difficult.
Innovation Solution
An electrochemical biosensor with nano-sized wells, a first probe, an adaptor protein, and a signal mediator molecule that uses amperometry to measure target substance concentration, allowing for simultaneous detection of multiple proteins with improved sensitivity and reduced sample volume.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional ELISA method is used to measure trace antigen proteins, then the method can effectively measure trace amounts, but it requires a large sample volume (200 ul) and can only analyze one protein at a time with limited analysis range
Solution Approach 1:
The electrode surface is divided into multiple independent wells (e.g., 6, 12, or 24 wells), each capable of independently detecting different target substances. This segmentation allows simultaneous multi-analyte detection while reducing the sample volume required per well, resolving the contradiction between detection sensitivity and sample volume requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from conventional planar electrode surfaces to three-dimensional well structures with increased surface area-to-volume ratios. The wells provide enhanced surface area for probe immobilization and target binding while maintaining compact footprint, thereby improving detection sensitivity without proportionally increasing sample volume requirements.
2Measurement precision
If conventional biosensors are used to detect very small amounts of target substances, then they can detect trace substances, but the sensitivity is not significantly improved compared to ELISA method
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces conventional optical detection systems with electrochemical detection using amperometry. This substitution eliminates complex optical components while achieving superior detection sensitivity through direct electrical signal measurement from enzymatic reactions, resolving the contradiction between detection sensitivity and device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention optimizes electrochemical parameters including electrode material composition, well geometry, probe density, and amperometric measurement conditions to maximize detection sensitivity. By systematically tuning these parameters, the sensor achieves sensitivity comparable to or exceeding ELISA without requiring complex device architecture.
3Measurement precision
If cytokines are measured to determine lung and cardiovascular damage, then important diagnostic information can be obtained, but cytokines exist at extremely low concentrations (10 to 400 pg/ml) making sensing difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The electrode surface is pre-modified with specific probes (antibodies, aptamers, or receptors) that selectively bind to target cytokines before sample introduction. This preliminary functionalization concentrates target molecules at the electrode surface through specific binding, enhancing detection sensitivity for low-concentration cytokines and reducing measurement difficulty.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces enzyme-linked probes as intermediaries between the target cytokine and the electrochemical detection system. The enzyme component amplifies the signal through catalytic reactions, enabling sensitive detection of trace cytokines while simplifying the measurement process through standardized amperometric readout.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The biosensor achieves sensitivity in the order of fg/ml, enabling effective detection of extremely small amounts of target proteins in blood with reduced analysis time and sample consumption, and allows for simultaneous detection of various proteins through a single process.
Implementation Method 1
an adaptor protein that specifically binds to the first probe
Implementation Method 2
a first probe provided at a bottom portion of the well and an adaptor protein that specifically binds to the first probe
Implementation Method 3
a second probe that specifically binds to a target substance that binds to the first probe
Implementation Method 4
a signal mediator molecule that specifically binds to the second probe
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a multiwell electrode-based biosensor, which, by using amperometry, can have a reduced size compared to existing biosensors that use impedance measurement and, by incorporating immunoassay methods, shows sensitivity to the level of fg/ml and thus can effectively detect a target protein comprised, in blood, in an extremely small amount. Probes which are different from one another are comprised in multiple wells and thus various target proteins can simultaneously be detected by means of a single procedure.